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Kim Jong-Un has vowed to make North Korea the "world's strongest nuclear power," state media reported Wednesday, as the nation shows little sign of reining in a weapons programme fuelling global alarm.The North has rattled the international community with a flurry of missile launches and its largest ever nuclear test in recent months in its bid to develop a warhead capable of striking the United States.Kim told workers behind the recent test of a new missile Pyongyang said was capable of that feat, that his country "will victoriously advance and leap as the strongest nuclear power and military power in the world," in a ceremony on Tuesday, according to state news agency KCNA.His comments come as global powers scramble for a response to the crisis, with the US backing stringent economic and diplomatic sanctions on Kim's regime to halt its nuclear drive.But the North has continued to lob missiles, posing a major challenge to US President Donald Trump. Fears of a catastrophic conflict … [Read more...] about Kim vows to make N. Korea ‘strongest nuclear power’

The two-day event is expected to attract Vietnamese government officials, South Korean government officials, businesses, startups, and university representatives. It will focus on human resource exchanges and training between Vietnam and South Korea in the age of Industry 4.0.Around 30 opinion leaders, including experts and scholars, will participate in the “Miracle on the Han River to Miracle on the Red River” talks. The forum aims to convey the various strategies that South Korea has successfully implemented in human resource development.The forum has the goal of spreading global prosperity through collective human intelligence and human resource development. It is a good opportunity for Vietnam to approach the ‘Miracle on the Han River’, allowing the country to learn from South Korea’s experience in tapping into local potentials to develop the economy.With the Global HR Forum in Vietnam 2017, both nations will have a new educational platform that … [Read more...] about South Korea seeks to kick off ‘Miracle on Red River’

Over 90% of fuels imported from SE Asia, South Korea in Jan-JulMinh Tam HCMC – Vietnam imported 5.1 million tons of fuels from Southeast Asia and 1.7 million tons from South Korea, accounting for over 90% of the total in the January-July period. A report of the General Department of Vietnam Customs shows Singapore took the lead with 3.06 million tons of fuels sold to Vietnam in the seven-month period, up from 2.79 million tons a year earlier. However, the import of fuels from Malaysia declined to around 1.5 million tons, followed by Thailand with around 567,500 tons. Many local companies opt for South Korea as their fuel imports from the Northeast Asian country enjoy the most favorable tariff under the ASEAN-Korea free trade agreement. In particular, Vietnamese firms are subject to a tariff of 10% for fuel imports from South Korea, 10 percentage points lower than from other markets. As a result, fuel imports from the nation as of end-June almost doubled year-on-year to 1.72 … [Read more...] about Over 90% of fuels imported from SE Asia, South Korea in Jan-Jul

The U.S., South Korea and Japan started joint exercises Monday to track missiles from North Korea, Seoul's military said, following the nuclear-armed Pyongyang's longest-range test launch to date.The trilateral drill comes less than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and declared it had achieved nuclear statehood, escalating global alarm over its weapons push.The two-day exercise -- the sixth since June last year -- kicked off in waters near the Korean peninsula and Japan, Seoul's defense ministry said."During the drill, Aegis warships from each country will simulate detecting and tracking down potential ballistic missiles from the North and sharing information," it said in a statement.Two U.S. ships are taking part, with one each from the two Asian countries.Both South Korea and Japan have security alliances with the U.S., although their own relationship is marred by disputes over history and territory.Washington and Seoul staged their … [Read more...] about US, S. Korea, Japan start missile-tracking drill

VietNamNet Bridge – In the dream, an art exhibition by established artist Nguyen Van Cuong, is one of a series of cultural activities being held by the South Korean Cultural Centre.It is being held towards enhancing the relationship between the Vietnamese and South Korean people, said Kim Heijin, South Korean embassy’s cultural counsellor, at the opening ceremony. The exhibition is showcasing 39 paintings, which include the works he painted many years ago and the ones he just completed. The exhibition is being held on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the relationship between Vietnam and South Korea."The relationship between the two countries can be seen as a dream, with outstanding achievements in many fields, including culture exchange," said the counsellor."Through culture, Vietnam and Korea, which have a geographical distance become more close and a family alliance. The cultural centre not only introduces Korean culture to the Vietnamese, but also seeks … [Read more...] about ‘In the dream’ promotes VN, S Korea relations

Festival highlights Vietnam-Korea cultural exchange Hoang Phong During 23 days of the HCMC-Gyeongju World Cultural Festival 2017, thousands of city inhabitants, international tourists and the Korean community converged at some of the city’s famous sightseeing spots to partake in a variety of cultural exchange activities between Vietnam and South Korea. A fashion show featuring hundreds of traditional costumes of Vietnam and South Korea took place on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street in the downtown area on Saturday night. The show was especially vivid with the colors of unique Vietnamese and Korean cultural traits as the Vietnamese models came on stage in ao dai (Vietnamese long dress) by well-known local designers such as Sy Hoang, Thuan Viet, and Dinh Van Tho while leading Korean fashion designer Lee Young-Hee also brought a surprise for Vietnamese spectators with a collection of Korean traditional costumes Hanbok. Addressing at the event on November 18, Huynh Thanh Nhan, director … [Read more...] about Festival highlights Vietnam-Korea cultural exchange

Faced with constant missile and nuclear threats from its belligerent northern neighbor, South Korea is boosting its arms sales and aims to become a major exporter, a study said on Monday.South Korea's arms industry accounted for 2.2 percent of global top 100 producers' sales in 2016, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report listing the world's "top 100" military services.South Korean arms-producing companies' combined sales totaled $8.4 billion (7.1 billion euros) the same year with a 20.6 percent rise in sales compared to 2015, SIPRI added."The increasing nuclear weapons capability in North Korea has led to major investments in South Korea," SIPRI Senior Researcher Pieter Wezeman told AFP.In defiance of repeated international condemnations and sanctions, Pyongyang fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week, which reached an altitude of 4,475 kilometers (2,780 miles) before splashing into the sea 950 kilometers (590 miles) east of … [Read more...] about N.Korea threats spark South Korea arms sales: study

The nascent robot industry in Viet Nam is poised for rapid growth in the coming two decades, Vietnamese and Korean experts in the field say.This growth, taking place during the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), will depend heavily on artificial intelligence and automation, Nguyen Quan, Chairman of the Viẹt Nam Automation Association (VAA) and former Minister of Science and Technology, said at a December 8 workshop held in the capital city.The workshop, jointly organised by VAA and the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC), focused on the potentials, advantages and opportunities for co-operation in Viet Nam’s growing robot industry.Lee Hyuk, South Korean Ambassador to Viet Nam, hoped Vietnamese enterprises would co-operate with Korean businesses in the robot industry, and that the Vietnamese Government would facilitate mutual investment and business co-operation in the fireld.Quan noted that VAA has selected South Korean companies as strategic partners in developing the … [Read more...] about Workshop promotes VN-S Korea robotics co-operation

The United States, Japan and South Korea will hold two days of missile tracking drills starting on Monday, Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force said, as tensions rise in the region over North Korea’s fast-developing weapons programmes. North Korea has fired two missiles over Japan as it pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N. sanctions and international condemnation. On Nov. 29, it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile which it said was its most advanced yet, capable of reaching the mainland United States. The exercises will be the sixth drill sharing information in tracking ballistic missiles among the three nations, the defence force said. It did not say whether the controversial THAAD system would be involved. The installation of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea has angered China, which fears its powerful radar could look deep into China and threaten its own security. Last month’s … [Read more...] about Japan, US, South Korea to hold missile tracking drill amid North Korea crisis

Two minor tremors were detected on Saturday from near North Korea’s nuclear test site and were probably aftershocks from the country’s massive nuclear test in early September, a U.S. Geological Survey official said.The aftershocks, of magnitude 2.9 and 2.4, were detected at 0613 and 0640 GMT (1:13 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. EST) respectively, said the USGS and Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.A tweet from Zerbo said analysts had confirmed that the activity was “tectonic” in origin.The USGS official said the tremors had been in the vicinity of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on Sept. 3.“They’re probably relaxation events from the sixth nuclear test,” the official said. “When you have a large nuclear test, it moves the earth’s crust around the area, and it takes a while for it to fully subside. … [Read more...] about Aftershocks likely from September test detected from North Korea nuclear site: USGS